Japanese Title: The Five Warriors Annihilated!? Terrifying Dark Power!
Duskmon introduces himself to the group and attacks them, managing to push them back with only one swing of his sword. None of them are able to land a scratch on Duskmon, and even when they try to implement some strategy with Blizzarmon and Bolgmon slide evolving to the speedier Chakmon and Blitzmon, they’re unable to do anything and Wolfmon can only get as far as crossing swords with Duskmon. Wolfmon, understanding that Duskmon is too strong to fight in their current state, has everyone pull a retreat despite Vritramon’s desire to keep fighting.
As the kids walk around, Takuya is upset at having been pulled back, believing that he was close to having defeated Duskmon. The group is depressed at their recent near-defeat and Takuya blames Kouji for being too soft and not enough on the offensive side, but Kouji tells him that they were able to feel that Duskmon is a very different enemy from whom they’ve fought before. Bokomon decides to break up the fight and have them all rest for food.
Junpei sets up a fire, and Izumi asks what he thinks about how things are going between Takuya and Kouji. Junpei says that Takuya’s impulsive recklessness and Kouji’s down-to-earth nature balance each other out and suggests how a scenario of having two Takuyas or two Koujis in the group would destabilize things. Junpei compares Takuya and Kouji to the placement of firewood on a fire; in the same way a fire can burn too much or not at all, Takuya and Kouji make a delicate balance.
Takuya tells Tomoki that he’s come up with a plan to potentially defeat Duskmon in one hit, while Kouji mulls over the entire situation. While they eat, Takuya presents his “plan”: he’ll restrain Duskmon as Agnimon, while the others in Beast Form will assume a formation around him and they’ll attack all at once. Junpei and Izumi express doubt that Takuya as Agnimon will be able to fully restrain Duskmon, but Takuya is sure he’ll be able to do it. Kouji, however, thinks that a better plan would be escaping, because he knows that Duskmon is different from the enemies that they’ve fought before.
Having hit his limit, Kouji decides to pull Takuya over for a private talk. He accuses Takuya of treating this all like some kind of game and reminds him that if they lose, they’ll die and will have no option to try things again. He tells Takuya that he could tell, by clashing swords with him, that Duskmon isn’t even working at his full power and that he’s just playing with them, but Takuya is certain that they’ll be able to do it if they combine their powers, since that’s always been how they’ve won. Kouji tells Takuya to return to the Real World if he can’t promise that it’ll work and that he’s not throwing everyone else into danger.
The group is attacked by Duskmon, and, in the absence of Kouji and Takuya, Junpei, Izumi, and Tomoki go ahead and use their Beast Spirits to evolve while the other two arrive on the scene and Takuya tells them to go forward with his plan. Kouji spirit evolves to Garmmon and Takuya to Agnimon, and Takuya tries to restrain Duskmon as per the plan, but it immediately falls apart when Takuya is unable to keep him from moving nor even land a mark on him. He does his best to execute his plan with his blind faith in his friends, but Duskmon only absorbs the combined attack and turns his sword on Takuya. Garmmon, however, interferes and takes the attack, heavily injuring himself and reverting to Kouji in the process. Agnimon, realizing that he’s gotten him into this mess, screams Kouji’s name...
...which causes a reaction in Duskmon, and the name “Kouji” suddenly causes him to move backwards and stimulates an odd feeling he doesn’t understand. In confusion, Duskmon releases a dark wave that engulfs everyone.
Takuya wakes up at “Darkness Terminal”, where a dark Trailmon says that he only appears to those who have true despair in their hearts and offers to take Takuya home. Takuya, completely shellshocked and refusing to fight on any further, takes the opportunity and boards the Trailmon.
Tropes
- Art Shift: The “Two Takuyas on a Bridge” Imagine Spot that Izumi has.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: During their argument, Kouji tells Takuya to go home if he's going to risk the others' lives. For the next episode, Takuya did just that.
- Eye Catch: Kouji’s variant is used twice in this episode.
- Knight of Cerebus: Duskmon 1) causes the entire group to rethink their strategy on having always believed they’d be able to do it, 2) forces Takuya into a Heroic BSoD where he calls it quits and goes home, 3) brings up some very traumatic familial issues for Kouji, the first bout of really significant familial problems in Frontier, and 4) ends up bringing his own familial issues and becomes a major part of Kouji’s life for the rest of the series. Yeah, this show suddenly gets a lot darker from the very first appearance of this guy.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Duskmon is far more competent than Cherubimon's other minions and a lot more ruthless as well.
- Stock Footage: This episode re-uses the clip of Garmmon howling during Kouji's Beast Spirit Evolution, albeit with a different howl.
- Sword Beam: Duskmon starts the fight with the heroes by sending one of these at them. Unlike similar instances of this trope, it actually expands if the gash it tears in the ground is any indication.
